


The Wolf Loses a Mate

by Shane_for_Wax



Series: Pro Cerberus Shepard [8]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Character Death, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-24
Updated: 2016-04-24
Packaged: 2018-06-04 07:26:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6648016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shane_for_Wax/pseuds/Shane_for_Wax
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A part of the AU where Shane Shepard joins Cerberus and is partnered with Kai Leng. Is not 'canon' for said AU, just an exploration of what would happen if Leng was no longer around Shane.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Wolf Loses a Mate

Leng was finesse and languid movements, while she was more lumbering but with a grace all her own. Her punches and biotics hit true and strong, while he used sword and kicks.

They had no equals asides from each other, and they took advantage of that fact. At least, no equals within Cerberus. They fought together and against each other. Their spars were almost deadly, in fact. But they always stopped before the killing blow could be made. 

They were two halves of a whole. Two sides of the same coin. Partners. Equals. "Lovers". What one lacked, the other filled. 

The two were well known as being the best Cerberus had to offer. They had been modified and outfitted with the best money could buy. After all, the top operatives needed to be properly outfitted. 

They were wolves and they knew how to bite. 

She had always thought that they were immortal. Nothing could touch them. They were above and beyond other human beings, were they not? Cybernetics made up a good portion of their bodies. 

But then the call came.  _Operative Down. SOS Operative Down_. Sometimes they went on missions alone when it was expected to be easy enough they both didn't need to go. 

Shane responded quickly to it, soon arriving at the coordinates for Leng's position. When she did, she was sure her heart stopped no matter how improbable that might be. 

He had been ambushed by cowardly Alliance soldiers. Her proud black haired wolf lay broken and bleeding on the floor where he'd fallen after fighting as long as he could while on his own. 

The biotic could see the trail of blood from Leng crawling to try to get to the exit, to get to his ship. Before he lost too much blood to move that is. Now he lied on his back, head tilted so he didn't suffocate on his own blood.

She sprinted to him, sliding the last two feet to be at his side. 

"Leng, it's me. I'm here," she said. He opened his eyes, such a brilliant blue even as his body was paling from loss of blood.

"...Shane?" he never used her first name unless they were behind closed doors or it was a grave situation. It made her cringe internally and the pain was incredible at just hearing her given name.

"Yeah, I've got you."

"Kill them all," he commanded of her. Her fingers scrambled along his armor. Where was he bleeding from?! There was a veritable puddle under him. Eventually she managed to snap off his chest plate and fling it off to the side, Cerberus logo facing downward. She then ripped the under armor to finally find the wounds he was bleeding out of.

"We will. Together." 

He couldn't die. He was the only one who understood her. She applied medigel to the open wounds she could find peppered along his torso.

"No."

"Leng... Kai... I... _we_ will **!** You and me."

Leng smiled thinly even as he went into shock from blood loss. Why wasn't the medigel working? **!** The wounds couldn't be too great **!**  

His red-eyed wolf. She would rip his killers apart with her bare hands if she had to. Though under other circumstances she would do it because she  _liked to._ The cybernetics did wonders to increase their strength. He had seen her just about rip someone in half bare-handed. It was what had attracted him to her in the first damn place all those years ago. 

"Tell the Illusive Man I succeeded in killing the target." At least he had managed that.

"You can tell him yourself **!** "

His hand with what strength he had left rose so as to grasp the front of her armor, yanking her down until their noses were almost touching. 

"Do it, Shepard." 

Her head dropped until it rested on his. She couldn't lose him. It wasn't possible **!**

 _"Verdammt, Leng. Du können nicht sterben **!** Ich weigere mich, du zu lassen **!** " _the German spilled from her mouth before she could stop it. 

 And then she heard his breathing stop, then his heartbeat. Her fingers curled in the cloth of the under armor he wore as she gritted her teeth. No, it wasn't possible. 

"Come back," she whimpered against his cheek.  _Please_. 

No attachments, that had been the rule. For just this reason. But it couldn't be helped. Her wolf was dead, killed by cowardly Alliance.

"COME BACK **!** she suddenly screamed. "COME BACK **!** DAMN YOU, LENG **!** " But she knew there was no use. He was gone. Her proud wolf killed by the Alliance. He deserved a proper death. A quick death. A _warrior's_ death. He had been robbed of that. Left for dead as if he were a dog and not the wolf that he was.

She fought tears. She refused to cry. She didn't cry. She never fucking cried! Her body shook unbidden as she nuzzled into his forehead and cheek. Blood coated her hands like a second skin. 

What was she going to do? She had no one else. There was only room for one mate in her life. And Leng had been it. Her best friend. Her partner. Her proud and strong wolf. 

It was said later by the clean up crew that had arrived sometime after Shane that you could hear her howl with rage and anguish throughout the entire facility-- and the building wasn't small by any stretch of the imagination. 

She was a broken shell of what she had once been. Without Leng, she wasn't as effective as she used to be. Everyone noticed, everyone knew why she wasn't in top form anymore. Everyone in Cerberus could smell weakness, and she had it in spades so they said. You lose your partner you move on. That's how it was. No attachments. She had disregarded that and was paying for it. 

Eventually the Illusive Man decided that Shepard was a liability if her head was no longer in it. But he also didn't want to lose her skill. If your human weapon couldn't put her mind to her work, you simply adjusted her mind so she would be back to the deadly woman she had been.

_You can't grieve for someone you don't remember ever existing._

"How are you doing with the loss of Leng?"

"Who's Leng?" 

Dead and forgotten made literal.

**Author's Note:**

> In case you can't hover over the German the translation is: Dammit, Leng. You can't die. I won't let you!


End file.
